Where Is Christ In A Time Of Crisis? Session 4

A Life That Is a Vapor

The Old Testament reading this morning is the 39th psalm in your pew Bibles. That'll be page 467 if you'd like to read along. I said I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue. I Will guard my mouth was with a muzzle so long as the wicked are in my presence.

I was mute and silent. I held my peace to no avail and my distress grew worse. My heart became hot within me as I mused the fire burned then I spoke with my tongue. Oh Lord make me know My end and what is the measure of my days?

Let me know how fleeting I am. Behold you have made my days a few hand breaths and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath. Surely a man goes about as a shadow.

Surely for nothing they are in turmoil. Man heaps up wealth and does not know who will get who will gather and. Now Oh Lord for what do I wait? My hope is in you. Deliver me from all my transgressions.

Do not make me the scorn of the fool. I am mute. I do not open my mouth for it is you who have done it. Remove your stroke from me. I am spent by the hostility of your hand. When you just when you discipline a man with rebukes for sin you consume you consume like a moth.

What is dear to him? Surely all mankind is a mere breath. Hear my prayer. Oh Lord and give ear to my cry. Hold not your peace at my tears. For I am a sojourner with you a guest like all my father's. Look away from me that I make that I might smile again before I depart.

And and and am no more.

The New Testament reading this morning comes from the 24th chapter of Luke. I will begin reading in verse 13. That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus about seven miles from Jerusalem.

And they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him and he said to them What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk.

And they stood still looking sad. Then one of them named Cleopas Answered him Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?

And.

He said to them what things and they said to him concerning Jesus of Nazareth a man who was a prophet mighty indeed and word for God and all the people and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him.

But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning and when they did not find his body They came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.

Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and Found it just as the women had said. But him they did not see and He said to them Oh foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets prophets have spoken was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory.

And Beginning with Moses and all the prophets he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. So they drew near to the village To which they were going he acted as if they were going farther.

But they urged him strongly saying stay with us for it is Toward evening and the day is now far spent so he went in to stay with them. So When he was at the table with them, he took bread and blessed and broke it And gave it to them and their eyes were opened that they recognized them and he vanished from their sight.

You may be seated.

A Final Session of the Bible Conference

Well, this is the last session of our bible conference for this year. We have had a tremendous time around the world with lance.

And.

I'm just thankful for How he's ministered the word to us here and frankly how he's ministered to some of us as we spend time around the table with him and and have.

Um.

Gotten to know his heart and his life. It's just been a really really good weekend. Uh, some of you haven't been here, you don't know. Lance I can tell you a little bit about him. He began ministry as the senior associate pastor with John, macarthur.

He was the Pastor at the bible church of little rock arkansas for 15 years. Went back to california. Was involved in church planning planted bethany bible church.

In.

Thousand oaks california. And now he is the Vice president for the expositor seminary Kind of headquartered in the in the church that he he's a part of in jupiter florida. Lance is a good friend. And he's not just my good friend, but he's been a friend to all of us here as he's ministered word.

So lance, we're anticipating god's blessing. Well, thank you my dear brother.

To know Tim pasma is to love tim pasma. And it has been a joy to be with tim and becca. Their family. What a joy. What a wonderful church. It's been a real thrill and privilege for me to be among you as I brought the word of god to you.

A Humble Perspective on Suffering in Psalm 39

And as we culminate our Bible conference on this day as we open god's word if you would please open to psalm 39. Psalm 39 It has been Read this morning to you. And so I won't read it again in its fullness, but we will Go through it expositionally.

Under the title a humble perspective of suffering. A humble perspective of suffering. That title and that idea of humble suffering Has never been more acute in my life than in these days. You can read in psalm 39 the phrase That king david gives to us and that is life is a vapor.

Life is a vapor. How true that is. You think to yourself one day that You have the whole of your life to live you are Young and free and excited about the future and You presume your whole life is in front of you.

And that would be normal, of course to think about and to anticipate. But none of us can measure life by Its years its decades because the bible clearly tells us that life is a vapor. You and I can presume that we are going to live to a ripe old age.

That we are going to be married if we are for many many decades. And of course that's natural to think about because you and I presume that.

We are.

Not going to be in categories of The shortness of life the tragedies of life the challenges of life. I was the same way. I just assumed that I was going to be living for many many decades and That I would presumably be married.

That I would have children. And that those children would have children. And that I would die in that ripe old age with all of my children and grandchildren around me. And that's Presumably what so many of us would assume about The way life would be if we were in charge.

When I was just approaching the decade of my 50s I saw how Vapor-like life really was and for the next decade and a few years even into my 60s I've come to realize that life is not only a vapor. But life can be extremely challenging and that suffering Will hit me at an apex in the decade of my 50s.

In 2009.

And just as the 50s of my life were dawning My stepfather died. He wasn't Someone that I lived with. I didn't actually live with a father. My parents were Divorced when I was just four years old. And I didn't even meet my biological father until exactly 40 years later when I was 44 and so this man my stepfather had Come into my life.

My mother had been married four times and this being the fourth and He died at an older age, but it was the first in my family that I could recall.

Where.

Someone very very close to you Has now died. And after he died My own mother died. She died on christmas day of 2016 Of a massive heart attack and she did not know the lord. She was a restless wanderer.

My growing up years were very volatile Arguments Spats Uneasiness conflict All of those things were how I lived and how I grew up. My sister and I were always Having to to duck And to evade the challenges of our mother because she was so angry and so distraught about life itself.

Not growing up with a father seeing that stepfather die and then Believing that my mother who had actually become a jehovah's witness would maybe someday later repent and Have her life transformed. It was very very saddened When I was about to preach on a sunday morning in california.

And christmas day was on a sunday that year. To get a phone call early that my mother had gone into a hospital in the little rock arkansas area where I grew up in the state of arkansas and Was told that somehow in some way she'd had a massive heart attack in the middle of the night and She had died.

She was being treated for a blood clot behind her right knee and so it seemed routine but either apparently that clot had been that which she succumbed with a stroke or A heart attack it was. It was very sad to me and I thought well possibly since these are a little bit older of persons That my family wouldn't have a death for a long time to come thinking of course and knowing and affirming that life is a vapor, but You assume that that's probably true more so of other people.

My wife Was diagnosed with very serious cancer on december 2nd of 2017 Just Not too long after my own mother's death. And in the midst of caring for her and all of her treatment for very serious non-smoker lung cancer We had a sweet little baby boy who was born To our family from my oldest son calvin theodore quinn.

He was precious. He was born a little bit early, but not too distressingly. And he was doing fine. He was in a NICU unit in a hospital. That's only two minutes from my house we were rejoicing and the particular couple my son and his wife, my daughter-in-law had already had one son already and He was so excited about his little brother and around day four of this little one's life calvin theodore Unbeknownst to all of us including even the medical care workers.

They wanted to put a pic line into his little body to give him a little bit more nourishment and Get his weight up a little bit though. He was very very fine doing well at four days of age. But unfortunately the pic line that they used To insert into his little body Was not properly sterilized.

And he became very very sick. And two days later he died. Life is a vapor. He only had six days of life. It was crushingly hard. It's one thing perhaps to have certain family members die. But it's entirely another when one who is your own grandson and how you watch your own children Deal with the death of a six-day-old baby.

My wife was particularly Jarred by that because of her own battle with cancer. His death was in august of 2018 and Beth was doing well my wife we were having excellent scan reports. We were Thanking god that even though there was such a dire initial diagnosis and a very bleak prognosis The lord was continually giving us wonderful days together that we could maximize because life is a vapor.

But it did come To a place where around march 1st of 2020 Even as covid was just around the corner That beth began to feel very poorly and we discovered around march 15th that She had another form of cancer that the oncologist didn't know about and wasn't suspecting Kind of cancer that was untreatable And fatal within two weeks.

And so on march 30th Of 2020 at 4 40 p .m My wife died. And I was again reminded that life is a vapor. She was such an elegant and classy and godly woman. She loved the lord deeply and she loved me and she loved our children.

We have eight children Five girls and three boys and They now have their children. We have 12 of them including that deceased child and I would have otherwise assumed that Beth was going to be vibrantly alive and Able to enjoy her children and grandchildren.

All of them were around us within oh a few minutes and so it was again just a strange providence. Why. Because I assumed that we would be living together as man and wife for More than 33 and a half years.

I assumed we'd have a 50th wedding anniversary. I assumed that we would watch Probably our other children who had not yet had children have even more children and that we would have a grand brood so Even these children that have been born since my wife's death.

She's not been able to touch or hold or kiss or caress. Why. Because life is a vapor. It seemed as though that was such a crushing thing and it seemed as though just about every Two years a death was just around the corner and Yet I assumed that with the death of my wife things would slow down a little bit and death wouldn't be paying visits to our family, but less than three months later I received a call from my niece in Arkansas Asking me if I'd talked to her mother my sister my only sister I said well, I tried to reach out to her.

I sent her a message on resurrection that I just preached that had some personal references to my wife beth whom my sister loved and I said she hasn't responded to my communication. Is there something wrong and she said yes.

She's in hospice care and she has about a week left in life. And I said what? How could that be. What are you talking about? She said well, you know that my mom has Smoked herself into very serious decline.

And what you and I had not known was that she was also drinking herself to such excess that her liver has failed and She's basically Drank and smoked herself to death. Not a believer so I said i'll be there tomorrow.

So I jumped on a overnight plane and I was there in the afternoon in dallas, texas Pleading with my sister to repent and believe the gospel. She could not communicate. She was near death's door. And she died one week later Asking even in her final days if she could be given more cigarettes to smoke life is a vapor my friends.

It's here today and gone tomorrow. It's very fast when I assumed that The funeral service for my sister which Was actually conducted by me on what would have been her 61st birthday.

Was.

Surely the end at least for now of some of this cascading repetitious moments of funerals and death. And less than a year after that my favorite aunt died the one who I stayed with when my mother was so volatile and This aunt my favorite aunt became more of a mother to me than my mother was a mother to me.

And I received word would you come and please do the funeral service of your aunt in Arkansas because she has died as well and so Less than a year later. I was presiding over her funeral also and I was reminded again and again and again That life is a vapor and I was thinking my stepfather my mother my grandson my wife my sister and my aunt.

The decade of my 50s and in now to the early part of my 60s Has been nothing but a challenge to see and perceive God's plans and god's god's ways. And then I came across psalm 39. Look at it with me psalm 39 we've read it earlier as I said and psalm 39 has become A precious psalm to me.

I presume that you all love to read the psalms. They are so heartwarming. So praise conscious. And yet so also raw and real. And this is psalm 39 David even talks about Life is a vapor. And so when I was going through all of these death after death after death after death experiences with very close members of my family I read psalm 39 and it was mesmerizing searching soul searching and Yet glorious all at the same time and when I read psalm 39 and I Looked at all of its constituent parts.

I realized That this is a message that out of my own Experience of all of these deaths in my family. It could be an encouragement to all of you. And so if I were to outline psalm 39 I would outline it in this way very Very succinctly be careful.

Be clear. Be contrite. And be consistent. That's really the the message of psalm 39 be careful be clear Be contrite. And be consistent. What do I mean? Well, let's look at the first three verses of psalm 39.

Under that outline point be careful. Now maybe you're going to say be careful of what and that's what I said. Be careful of what? To to what am I to be careful and I think it's this to be careful. Just to whom?

And just how? You talk about life's difficulties. That's really the first three verses of psalm 39 be careful.

Whom.

To whom and just how? You talk to the people around you about life's Difficulties notice what king david says? He says to the choir master to jettison a psalm of david. This is a song david has written a song.

And he says I said I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue. I will guard my mouth with a muzzle. So long as the wicked Are in my presence. Now now whatever is going on in david's heart according to psalm 39.

He's saying something about his mouth. His speech his tongue. When he is standing around unbelievers. That's that's clearly. What needs to be interpreted here? He says I will guard my ways that I meant that I may not sin with my tongue.

Well, if you add that In the context of verse 4. Oh lord make me know my end and what is the measure of my days? Let me know how fleeting I am. Behold you have made my days verse 5 a few hand breaths and my lifetime is nothing before you.

Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath. Surely a man goes about as a shadow. David is obviously thinking about the brevity of life how short it is. How quickly life is here and then it's gone. And I take that to mean That somehow when david is around unbelievers.

He's saying to himself I better be careful. About how I talk about life and death and about how quickly it is and comes. I better be careful when i'm around those who don't know god. I better be careful what I say.

And I think that's very very necessary. And very good medicine for us. For instance just with myself. All of these deaths all of these six deaths right in a row. When a father figure dies and your mother.

And your grandson at such a tender age and your own wife the wife of your youth. And your sister your only sister. And your favorite aunt when when in rapid fire succession these deaths occur in your life.

There is a temptation. We all know it to say something like this god. This isn't fair. I don't agree with what you're doing. And I think frankly that what's happening in my life and all i'm experiencing in these decades.

The this decade of my 50s is that you are arbitrary And capricious as a god. You ever known any unbelievers who might talk like that?

Mad.

Forlorn irritable. Volatile angry. At what they presume is not the goodness of god but his arbitrariness his capriciousness.

Just just.

Talk to a normal run-of-the-mill person who's who's a Unbeliever who's just experienced some kind of death that they do not agree was either necessary. Or right or best in the context of their life.

And just listen to what they say. So often you're going to hear those very words. This is not fair. This is not right. And maybe even going into a place of indicting god. About his arbitrariness. And saying what you are doing is unfair and i'm going to hold you eternally At fault for what you've done in my life.

I've heard those things you've heard from Unbelievers those very things and I think in verses 1 2 and 3 david is saying i've got to guard my mouth. I have to guard my ways. If necessary i've got to guard my mouth with a muzzle as the wicked are in my presence.

Now it doesn't mean That you don't have your own questions even as a believer. It doesn't mean that you're always going to be on rosy street. Where you think that even with death being all around you and even though you believe god to be a good god.

That you still don't have any questions. I've asked a thousand questions, but when i'm around unbelievers I don't act and talk like unbelievers. And that's what david's doing. Now it also doesn't mean That when you're lying in your bed and the night watches and your wife isn't there right next to you.

And your little baby has died. And all of the people who are close to you and your immediate family are dropping like flies that everything's rosy. Everything's cheeky. Everything's great. It's grand.

It's not. It's not. And david says in verse 2 I was mute and silent. I held my peace to no avail and my distress what grew worse. In other words, he was keeping it inside. It was pinned up. It's not as though We're playing a game here with unbelievers where we're telling them.

Oh, no, everything's great. The death of your people you don't need to worry about that. This is okay. But david is saying look I need to respond to them in an appropriate way, but that doesn't mean that all my questions have immediately gone away.

My distress grew worse. He says Verse three my heart became hot within me. And then just as honest and raw and real as he could possibly be. He says as I mused as I thought about it as I Laboriously worked through in the night watches all that was happening in my life and we don't know exactly what was happening In david's life.

We don't know if it was a problem an issue a person a calamity. Whatever it was, but when he was around unbelievers, he kept his mouth Appropriately shut. He was being careful of what he says, but that's only half the battle and as I mused he says the fire burned.

Then I spoke with my tongue and he did what you and I often and should do. And what is that? I went to the lord. I went to the lord. And what was his state? Well, I was being careful. But I also need to be secondly clear.

I need to be clear clear about what. Here's what I need to be clear about david says about the true nature of man about how utterly short Life is for mankind. And here's what he says. Look at verse 4.

Oh lord yahweh. Make me know my end. I just read it a moment ago. What is the measure of my days? Let me know how fleeting I am. How transient I am? Behold you you've made my days a few hand breaths. What's a hand breath?

What is that? Well, take your finger in your your fingers on your hand and raise your hand. Everybody raise your hand. Take your measurement from here to here. Maybe four inches five inches six inches max.

That's a hand breath. That's the breadth of your hand. That's how long life is. Four inches five. Six at the most. This is how short life is. It's it's a vapor. Sometimes the scripture in the old testament says this is the length or duration of life.

You ready? That's it a breath a mere breath. It's it's here. And it's gone. And so he goes to the lord. He doesn't go to unbelievers and trash the lord. He goes to the lord and he says you've got to make me.

The span of my life the measure of my days how fleeting my life is. I'm burning inside. I'm wondering. I'm pondering. Give me truth. Give me transparency. Give me knowledge. Give me understanding. You've made my days a few hand breaths and my lifetime it's nothing.

Before you it's it's it's like I was never around. And then he widens it surely all mankind stands as a mere breath. Boy how true that is. Oh, I know there are the young people around us and they think they've got all of their life.

It's just ahead of me. I can grab all the gusto. I'm free. I'm easy. I'm young. I'm talented. I can do whatever I want. And then you even have tv preachers. To tell them you can pray anything into existence.

That's a lie. You can pray. But god is the one who brings everything into existence and he also takes life away. That's what david's learning. Surely a man goes about as a shadow surely for nothing verse six.

They are in turmoil. Man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather and do you see that little phrase? Right there between verses five and six selah. It's like a musical term. It's like a Term that speaks of a musical interlude.

Interlude.

Where you have the music going. But the words are not being sung and I presume that maybe selah means something like this. Stop Your singing of the words and simply listen to the music and ponder what has been sung.

Ponder it. Think about it. Roll it around in your mind muse upon it. And here's what you are musing upon. I I have to understand how short life is. And then you start beginning to realize that if life is so short like this.

Maybe I ought to start maximizing every one of my days for jesus christ every day. Don't slough off. Don't take spiritual vacations. Don't be indolent and lazy. Don't presume you've got the rest of your life to live.

You don't. And god could cut it short. And he may. And often at times he does. You say yeah, but that's that's my problem. I understand if david doesn't want to talk to unbelievers. He wants to be careful about that.

But when it's just me and my god and when i'm laying in my bed and the night watches. Aren't I able to say this is unfair. Well in some ways some of these psalmists Seem to be doing that lord. How long?

How long.

How long will you not come to me? How long will it be if you are not rescuing me? Well, that's one thing. And that in the psalmist's hearts are completely and totally understandable. It's when you and I get to a place like this.

God you took my wife away and I hold you responsible. As though He answers to me. I don't answer to him. I expect him to do whatever I want him to do. I expect him to do what I command him to do. You you say oh I would.

I would never do that. Well, certainly not outwardly. We wouldn't be fine upstanding evangelicals if we said things like that out loud. But sometimes in those night watches we may be laying on our bed thinking that very thing.

I hold you responsible. I don't like what you've done. I believe it's wrong. I believe it's arbitrary. I believe it's capricious. I believe it's something that shouldn't have happened. You shouldn't have taken that woman away from your.

From her children and from her grandchildren and you shouldn't be taking her away from me. And for those others who love her and and have ministered to her and have been ministered to by her. This is not the right plan.

That's why you got to be careful. And you got to be clear. You've got to be clear like david's clear. You've got to acknowledge this is how life is. This is how a short life is intensified and so. Being both careful and clear.

You and I if we have that attitude. Like david is seemingly saying about himself. This is what i'm thinking. I don't tell unbelievers this but this is what I may be thinking. And that's why the third Point is this be contrite.

Be contrite. What do I mean. Look at verse 7 and now oh lord. For what do I wait? My hope is in you. And then notice verse 8. Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me the scorn of the fool.

I am Mute. I do not open my mouth for it is you who have done it. What has he done verse 10. Remove your stroke from me. I am spent by the hostility of your hand. Oh, I see what's going on now verse 11.

David's actually being disciplined by the lord. Verse 11 when you discipline a man with rebukes for sin. You consume like a moth what is dear to him? Surely all mankind is a mere breath. Oh I think i'm beginning to understand.

I held my tongue In the ears of the unbelievers. But I grew worse because I needed a heart check. Though I wasn't telling the unbelievers that god was arbitrary. I think I was saying in my heart even in those times of great despair.

You're not good God at least not good enough for my tastes and what the lord had to do was to say My dear david. You've crossed the line. You've crossed the line. And now you are to be disciplined. I'm going to chastise you as my son as your heavenly father.

And notice the words that david is contritely saying verse 8 my transgression. Verse 10. Remove your stroke from me. I am spent. Verse 11 rebukes for sin. You know say whatever you want to say about david.

But he was raw and real and even in this moment He was acknowledging his sin like psalm 32, right? We read it like psalm 51. We call them penitential psalms. Psalms of the penitent psalms of the sinner.

Psalms of the one who needs to repent about our attitudes toward god. And I think it's probably true to say That one of the greatest struggles of the christian life Is to acknowledge that god is the lord of both life and death.

He's in charge of it. He knows the rightness of it. He knows the timing of it. He knows That there is a plan and a purpose in his grand providence that sometimes Even means the death of a child at six days of age.

And that's often where someone says I do not agree with that. There Is no good in a baby dying that young. No good in that at all. And if that's the kind of god you serve and if that's the kind of god that you expect to be serving all of your life.

Count me out. Why. Because i'm using my own frame of reference. I'm using what I think god ought to be. I'm assuming that god ought to bend to all my ideas and my wants and my wishes and my commands. And we've got the thing topsy-turvy.

It's like the philosopher voltaire. Who said god created man in his own image and then man turned around and returned the favor. Creating god in man's image. That's what we do. That's what we do. God doesn't come through for us in the way that we want him to.

Then i'll reverse the process and i'll start questioning him. You you sit down here. You just sit down right here. I've got a Huge number of questions for you. Is that what? Jobe did. At one point jobe says I want a courtroom scene with the almighty.

I've got some questions. I need to ask him. And to which god responded when he ultimately responded and said this where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth.

You.

Questioning me. You say well that sounds like That kind of arbitrary capricious god who's who's catching one of his creatures up short and saying who are you? Where's the love in that. Where's the. Where's the fatherly nature in that.

I tell you what if you and I knew What god was up to in his plan and purposes for all of our lives. We would never question one thing. Not one thing. Because if we knew what he knew. And if we knew his compassion and his love and his plan and his purpose and all of the things that god Knows that we do not know we would never question one thing.

You know that in heaven when we're all there together. There'll never be one question to god. About anything because he knows all things. And he's good. Psalm 119 68a god is good and does good. And he's a wise heavenly father.